The
advent of street based sports titles has exploded
thanks mostly to EA's take on this exciting
new genre. You'll usually find all of the same
sports stars present and accounted for in the
street games but you're allowed to play by the
rules of the street which makes the games accessible
to anyone who loves a game of basketball on
the neighborhood court or a game of football
in the park. And we know that you guys love
your outdoor sports.

For
those unsure of what separates the street games
from the "real" games, NBA Street
V3 is a three on three blacktop brawl for the
ball. It features real NBA teams with reduced
player lists. Since it's in the vein of the
original arcade b-ball game, NBA Jam, you won't
be playing the game with the same rules of reality.
It's all about style and glitz, building up
your tricks and maxing out your "gamebreaker"
meter which allows you dunk or shoot with maximum
stylepoints and if you connect you'll take points
away from the other team.

Taking
sports games online has afforded this genre
with an incredible breath of fresh air and NBA
Street V3 is no different. Please note that
the GC version doesn't allow online play and
instead offers up three of Nintendo's biggest
stars as compensation for this. The PS2 and
Xbox versions are online playable, however they
don't feature Mario, Luigi or Princess Peach
but I'm happy to say that all three console
versions are pretty equal in terms of performance.
The Cube and Xbox version eek past the PS2 in
terms of graphics and the PS2 suffers from longer
load times, but no one will walk away disappointed
at the end of the day.

Where
the three console versions diverge is in the
control configuration. Due to the overhauled
control scheme which involves using the R analog
stick to control the newly appointed "trick
stick" which gives players 8 different
directions of juking bliss which can be combined
with the turbo buttons (mapped to the shoulder
buttons), players who own more than one console
might want to select the system which has the
most comfortable controller in their opinion.
In this case, the PS2 wins out due to the fact
that the controller is quite honestly one of
the best ergonomically designed controllers
in the history of the universe. If you disagree,
you're an Xbox or GameCube fanboy!

If
you're looking for a simple game of streetball
I'd recommend just going outside. It doesn't
get much simpler that that. The amount of control
over tricks, dunks, combos and passing is pretty
overwhelming, especially if this is your first
introduction to the NBA Street series. Watching
skilled players flaunt their mastery over this
game is akin to taking in ballet; it's an exquisite
dance which may look easy to perform but the
reality is much different. Noobs will be fumbling
all over the place, tripping over themselves
in an effort to look cool. Spend some time in
the all-new single player career mode and log
hundreds of hours offline before you even consider
stepping outside your IP address, unless humiliation
is something you're drawn to.

The
single player street challenge mode is new this
time around and it's a welcome addition. You
will work your way through 12 different courts
during a 10 week stint and you will play dozens
of matches. The ultimate goal of the street
challenge is to increase your reputation and
earn points which in turn allows you to recruit
better players for your team as well as spend
points in the store to outfit your character
etc.

The
customization available to you in V3 is staggering.
Created players not only have hundreds of different
looks, clothes, hair etc. but how they perform
on the court is directly related to the body
type you have chosen. Smaller guys will be easier
to upgrade speed, while larger guys will lack
agility and need to focus on shooting and blocking
skills.

If
the online play and street challenge wasn't
enough, there is even a Dunk Mode available
to you. Unlike some of EA Sports other "dunk
competition" found in their other basketball
offerings, this mode is pretty lightweight and
will probably only be used sparingly due to
it's lack of depth and challenge. Once you visit
it once or twice there really isn't any reason
to come back.

Graphic
hounds will be blown away at the sheer style
and presentation of V3. Everything looks great,
from the character models, court designs, lighting
effects and animation. It really doesn't get
any better than this and I think it's a real
technical achievement how smooth the combos
transition in a game with such complex movement.

This
is an excellent addition to the series and it's
easy to see why it's been two years since Volume
2. While it expands on the formula set by previous
versions, it doesn't change them just for the
sake of change; the alterations have resulted
in a better playing game all around. With the
advent of online play for the PS2 and Xbox,
V3 promises to provide literally months, if
not years, of replay value.

PS2
Owners: The load times suck but the graphics
are actually pretty darn close to the Xbox and
Cube, which surpised me. Online play is pretty
good, but I found it to be more laggy than XBL.
As mentioned though, you've got the controller
that makes this game a breeze to play.

Xbox
Owners: The best graphics by a small margin,
load times are zooming and the online play is
unrivaled. However even the smaller size of
the S controller manages to mar the experience
just a tad. I play a lot of Xbox and I'm used
to it, but I would definitely consider getting
one of those peripherals that allows me to use
a PS2 controller in my Xbox.

Cube
Owners: Great graphics, no online play and
personally the controller just downright blows
in my opinion. It's unintuative and aside from
the A and B buttons, the button positioning
on the Cube was designed by someone who knows
nothing about ergonomics or heck, while I'm
at it, color schemes, but that's beside the
point. What you do get is Mario, Luigi and Peach
as playable characters and your own Mushroom
Kingdom court to play on. This is a fun novelty
but it begins and ends there. Novelty. These
characters just don't fit in a basketball game
and their appearance is somewhat unsettling.

Previeww
by Chris

EA
had a great hit with the first NBA Street. The
second attempt was decent but got out done by
Midway's NBA Ballers. So now it looks like EA
Big is adding everything and even including
something special for the GC owners. I guess
this is their way of making up for the lack
of any online mode missing from the GC version.
The game will feature a cast of characters that
fans of the series will know. However, they
are also adding new characters including Mario,
Luigi and Princess Peach. No- I am not joking.
It is not a rumor. The three will be in the
game. The question will be if you need to unlock
them or not. It looks like each version will
have something unique added to it. For the Xbox
owners the game will finally feature an online
mode where you can get 5 of your friends together
for a fast 3-on 3-dunk fest! While the PS2 players
have already had their online mode, they can
expect some new moves and a faster paced game.

I
have always enjoyed the game and the idea behind
it. While I still think the first game was the
best one, I have to admit V3 is looking like
it will provide fans with some of the most insane
moves more dunk combos (500,000+) than ever
before. No misprint! In addition to the combos
it will also provide the ability to create your
very own combo moves.

While
the basic game remains pretty much the same
formula, it also looks like new modes are being
added to expand the game and push the experience
a bit further. I really hope the game is as
good as they are saying it will be. The chance
to play with the legends and the new characters
sounds great. Players can also expect the same
great animations and brand new moves and effects.
You can provide your own smack talk; however,
knowing the series I am sure the characters
will have some great one-liners themselves.
This is technically the PS2 preview due to the
fact the screen shots and game features listed
are from the PS2 version. Fans can expect this
one in stores in early February!

Press:

The
highly-anticipated third chapter in the multi-platinum-selling
NBA Street series rises above the rim and expands
on the customization and variety of game modes
and gameplay that helps distinguish the franchise
within EA's rich basketball portfolio. Gamers
can build their reputation as they create the
future of street basketball with all-new jaw-dropping,
ankle-breaking, rim-shaking moves in visually
stimulating environments, from favorite courts
like "The Cage" and "Rucker Park"
to the next generation of streetball sanctuaries,
like "Venice Beach". It all adds up
to give V3 a revolutionary style all its own.

Featuring
NBA legends, today's top stars, and original
characters from past editions, NBA Street V3
reaches new heights by making over-the-top,
larger-than-life moves even bigger in this action-packed,
arcade-style game. Customize your baller, build
courts from the ground up, throw one down in
an all-new dunk contest and go online to put
your reputation to the test.

Features:

It's
Air time! -- NBA Street V3 rises above the
rim with all-out, head-to-head streetball
with 500,000 dunk combinations -- use any
combo to build a dunk of your own. Package
it all up with a gravity-defying mid-air maneuver
and a highlight-reel finish to help build
a reputation on the streets.

Dunk
Contest -- Execute big-air dunks with the
innovative new dunk control system. Throw
it down over objects like cars and dumpsters
to impress the panel of judges in this game
mode where creativity and imagination rule.

Court
Creator -- Customize your own court using
different surface, rim, and backboard options
with all-new Court Creator. After it's personalized
with ad banners and team logos, move it online
for the Street world to see.

Player
Customization -- Put your reputation on the
line with a customized player or your own
created baller. Develop your own style and
attitude by hookin' him up with more than
1,000 items including personalized dunks,
shoes, and jerseys.

Street
Goes Online -- Play online against the nation's
baddest ballers in 3-on-3 showdowns with five
other live players, or attract the best players
to your 'hood by hosting games on your created
court. New World Environments -- Twelve authentic
courts stretch across the globe including
new venues in Europe and Brighton Beach. Each
court has new lighting and detailed graphics
with its own unique setting. PS2 / Xbox
only

New
"Punk'd" Tricks -- Embarrass your
opponent by throwing the ball under his arm
or wrapping it around his head, or trick out
a defender with an Off The Bootay move. With
all-new trick dribbles, dunks, player celebrations,
taunts, passes, shots, and lay-ups, your Street
game just jumped to the next level.